Holiday food safety tips

Story source: Londa Nwadike, Food Safety Specialist, Kansas State University and University of Missouri Extension

You may have cherished memories of holiday
meals with friends and family. If you’re preparing a memorable
holiday meal of your own, make food safety a priority so guests
don’t remember it for all the wrong reasons.

Hosting a holiday meal often means having more people at the
table, serving a wider variety of dishes and perhaps tackling
some unfamiliar recipes. If you’re not careful, all those
ingredients can add up to foodborne illness, says Londa Nwadike,
food safety specialist for University of Missouri Extension and
Kansas State University Research and Extension.

With Thanksgiving coming up, Nwadike offers these safety tips
for those planning to prepare a traditional turkey dinner.

Turkey

“Frozen turkey must be thawed in the refrigerator or in cold
water, not on the kitchen counter,” warns Nwadike. If thawing in
cold water, change the water every 30 minutes so the outer layer
of turkey won’t get warm enough to support microbial growth.

Don’t rinse turkey and other meats before cooking. “That will
only spread those germs around the sink, which can
cross-contaminate other foods,” she says. “Any bacteria that
might be rinsed off the surface would be easily killed by
cooking in the oven.”

To determine if the turkey is safely cooked, use a food
thermometer to make sure the innermost part of the thigh and
wing and the thickest part of the breast has reached a minimum
temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

The safest method is to cook stuffing outside the bird. If you
do choose to stuff your turkey, stuff it loosely just before
cooking and make sure the stuffing is moist. Like the turkey,
stuffing should be cooked to at least 165 F.

Side dishes and desserts

Egg dishes: Any dishes containing eggs, such as escalloped corn,
should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 160 F.

Raw produce: Don’t chop foods that will be eaten raw on the same
cutting boards you use for raw meats without washing the boards
thoroughly between uses.

If produce is not pre-rinsed, rinse carefully and scrub off any
visible soil with a produce brush.

Pumpkin pie: Baked goods with fillings made of eggs and milk,
including pumpkin pies and cheesecake, need to reach an internal
temperature of at least 160 F. Refrigerate after baking or
purchase.

Leftovers

Refrigerate the turkey (with meat removed from the carcass) and
stuffing separately in shallow containers within two hours of
cooking. Leftover turkey will keep in the fridge for three to
four days, but gravy and stuffing will only keep for one or two
days. You can also safely freeze leftovers, but use them within
two to six months for best quality. Reheat leftovers to 165 F.